Abstract Detail

Systematics

Thiers, Barbara [1], Paul, Deborah [2], Shari, Ellis [3].

Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) Task Force on Accelerating the Discovery of Biocollections Data.

As part of a broader global strategy for mobilizing primary biodiversity data, GBIF convened a task force to help accelerate the discovery of and access to non-digitized biological collections. This effort began in March 2015 and will complete its work by the end of 2016. The objectives of the task force are to determine the current status of digitization effort in collections across the world, document best practices for digitizing and sharing data,; share successful business models for funding digitization projects; provide guidance in the development of training and outreach materials for digitization and data sharing; and provide guidance on establishing digitization priorities to serve institutional, national and global needs. These objectives will be accomplished through consultation with the GBIF community, including collections institutions, existing digitization initiatives and organismal specialist groups. In late 2015, the Task Force deployed an on-line survey of the collections community in order to determine the status of biocollections digitization globally. Over 600 individuals responded representing over 1900 collections distributed across 72 countries. Eighty-six percent of respondents report they are currently databasing their collections, while 64% report imaging. Only 5% indicate that they do not plan to digitize their collections, while 82% plan to digitize everything. By far, the most frequently cited obstacles to digitization of collections are lack of funding and lack of time among personnel. Survey results are summarized in an interim Task Force report, released in early 2016. A symposium on setting global and local digitization priorities will be convened by the task force at the 2017 meeting of the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections in Berlin, bringing together a wide range of stakeholders. The task force will also catalyze the production of documents to assist institutions with their digitization efforts and. will share biocollections use-cases for specific communities (researchers, policy makers, educators, etc) to demonstrate the benefit of published, vouchered biodiversity data for science, society, governments, and the private sectors. The capstone is planned be a summit of government, corporate and foundation institutions to form a closer-working cooperative network of global bio-collection entities and professional societies to achieve a critical mass for planning the strategic, priority-based digitization of biocollections data worldwide.

1 - The New York Botanical Garden, William and Lynda Steere Herbarium, 2900 Southern Blvd., Herbarium, Bronx, NY, 10458, United States
2 - Florida State University, iDigBio, Tallahassee, FL, USA
3 - University of Florida, Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, FL , 32511-2710, USA

Keywords:
DigitizationCollections
biodiversity informatics.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 47, Systematic Methods, Herbarium Digitization & Floristics
Location: 203/Savannah International Trade and Convention Center
Date: Wednesday, August 3rd, 2016
Time: 2:15 PM
Number: 47004
Abstract ID:193
Candidate for Awards:None